Medicine in a Roman city

doi:10.5694/mja14.00346

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Medicine in a Roman city

Published Jul 1, 2015 · Peter R Mayall

Medical Journal of Australia

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Abstract

The excavated city of Pompeii provides insight into medicine in first century CE Roman life one individual [was] found lying over a wooden chest of medical instruments containing a bronze needle used for treating cataracts . . . suggesting he was an eye specialist An examination of the archaeological sites and material at Pompeii related to medical treatment, including surgical instruments and other medical equipment, remnants of drugs and herbal medicines, evidence of traditional practices related to religion and the deities associated with healing and magic, as well as the human remains found, can provide some appreciation of how medical problems were dealt with in Roman society. Many of the medical instruments, procedures and medications used at that time would be familiar to modern practitioners.

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Key takeawayPompeii's medical records reveal that first-century Romans used many familiar medical instruments, procedures, and medications, offering insight into medical treatment in Roman society.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

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Medicine in a Roman city

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References

The causes of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia: a reappraisal of the iron-deficiency-anemia hypothesis.

The iron-deficiency-anemia hypothesis may not fully explain the causes of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia in ancient human skeletal collections.

Impact of the AD 79 explosive eruption on Pompeii, II. Causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphic analysis and areal distribution of the human casualties

The AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius led to the deaths of 1150 Pompeii residents, with 38% killed during the first phase due to roof and wall collapses, and 51% inside buildings due to pyroclastic density currents.

Doctors and diseases in the Roman Empire

This book is a valuable resource for understanding the history of medicine, and promoting the importance of a decent diet for preventing and treating diseases in the Roman Empire.

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